Liquor and vehicles seized in Vadodara, two arrested

Vadodara, May 30 (IANS) Gujarat Police’s State Monitoring Cell (SMC) carried out a raid in Vadodara Rural and seized foreign liquor, vehicles, and mobile phones worth more than Rs 87 lakh.

The operation was carried out based on a tip-off, leading officials to an open area in front of the accused Munna Jaiswal's residence near the Savli water tank. The raid resulted in the seizure of foreign liquor valued at Rs 39 lakh, along with 12 vehicles, including SUVs, tempos, and two-wheelers worth Rs 48.80 lakh.

Authorities also confiscated two mobile phones worth Rs 10,000 and a bag of straw estimated at Rs 4,000. Two individuals, identified as Vishal Rajubhai Mali and Vitthalbhai Ravjibhai Mali—both residents of the Savli area—were arrested on the spot. Nineteen others, including the main accused Dhawal alias Munna Subhash Jaiswal and Sagar Jaiswal, have been declared wanted. Other wanted individuals include Kamlesh Mali, Bhavesh Mali, Rahul Mali, Nilesh Mali, and Kishan Mali, among others, allegedly involved in logistics and transportation.

A formal complaint has been registered at the Savli police station, and further legal procedures are underway.

Meanwhile, in 2024, Gujarat, despite its long-standing prohibition laws, witnessed significant enforcement actions against illicit liquor activities. The State Monitoring Cell (SMC), operating under the Gujarat DGP's office, registered 455 liquor-related cases across the state. These operations led to the seizure of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 22.51 crore and total confiscated items valued at Rs 52 crore. Ahmedabad city reported 2,139 IMFL-related cases, resulting in the seizure of 3.06 lakh bottles valued at Rs 5.78 crore. Additionally, the city recorded 7,796 cases involving country-made liquor, with 1.58 lakh litres seized.

Vadodara Rural led in terms of the value of liquor seized, with Rs 9.8 crore worth of IMFL confiscated from hidden compartments in trucks and godowns. In Rajkot, authorities reported a single liquor-related case in 2024, recovering liquor worth Rs 48,500 and additional items valued at Rs 5.53 lakh. Gandhinagar officials conducted 18 raids, seizing liquor worth Rs 62 lakh and a total of items valued at Rs 2.9 crore.

--IANS

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